Of Myth, Life, and War in Plato's Republic - A sensitive and original reading of Plato's Republic that foregrounds the power of myth in the shaping of history, 2001, 280 p. -

Although Plato's Republic is one of the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy, it still remains enigmatic. Through a close reading of the Greek text, Baracchi investigates the dialogue's major themes. She shows that the Republic is concerned throughout with the complex but intertwined issues of life and war, locating the site of this tangled web of growth and destruction in the mythical dimension of the Platonic city.